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Mortar Shell Found in Tariq al-Jadideh Dumpster as Houri Says He May Have Been its Target

Security forces discovered on Thursday an explosive in Beirut's Tariq al-Jadideh neighborhood, reported various media outlets.

They said that security forces discovered a 120 mm mortar shell connected to a timer in a garbage dumpster in the area.

They have since dismantled the explosive.

The dumpster is located near the Tariq al-Jadideh police station and al-Dana area, which was soon blocked by the security forces.

The National News Agency said that the mortar was placed in a bag that was placed under a car in the area.

Voice of Lebanon radio then reported that military experts are searching the area where the mortar shell was found in order to determine if other explosives had been placed in the area.

Mustaqbal MP Ammar Houri later told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) that he was headed to a wake at a Tariq al-Jadideh mosque, which is located about 100 meters from where the mortar was found.

“We will await the investigations and I urge the concerned agencies to reveal the details of the incident because it may have been an assassination attempt against me,” he added.

In the evening, the army suspected a box found near Bilal bin Rabah mosque in Sidon, whose Imam is Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir, but did not find anything skeptical in it after inspection, al-Jadeed reported.

MTV said the box only contained papers.

In October, March 14 alliance MPs Houri, Ahmed Fatfat, Hadi Hbeish, Khaled al-Daher and Nuhad al-Mashnouq said that they were texted death threats from a Syrian telephone number before and after Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau head Wissam al-Hasan's assassination.

Hasan was killed in a car bomb in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district on October 19.


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